Williams Haulage; Cardiff, Wales
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Returning to work still felt strange. After two years at Atmore, Rhys Williams viewed things differently. People there supported one another. They were reliable. Having an employee suddenly quit without notice or explanation with a message on the answering machine was yet another reminder of the differences.
He parked the van outside the office. The thoughtless former employee forced him to reschedule deliveries. It was after 7 PM before he finished. The dark windows said his assistant left already. As he was checking for his keys to unlock the door, he heard a struggle.
Following the sounds around the building, he saw a woman struggling with a larger man. It looked like he was trying to force her into the car. "Hey," Rhys yelled. The man hesitated, looking at him. The woman took the opportunity to fight back, but was unable to escape. She was knocked into the car with a thud. "Torchwood."
"Yeah, right," the man yelled back. "Fuck off."
As Rhys reached for his gun, a person emerged from the alley across the street. He wasn't certain, but at the distance, he thought it was a tall woman. She grabbed the man by the back of his head and slammed it into the car. Rhys grabbed his mobile instead. The other woman left as quickly as she appeared.
"Ma'am." Rhys hand out in front of him as he waited for Gwen to answer. "Do you need an ambulance?"
She shook her head.
"Can you step away from the car? I need to check the arse."
"He attacked me." She sounded terrified and young. Rhys had no idea what the young woman was doing in the area. Most offices were closed. Unless she was new, she didn't work in any neighboring business.
"I'm calling for help." He removed his mobile.
"Hey. When are you heading back?"
"There was an attempted abduction by the office. The woman is safe. Her attacker needs an ambulance." Rhys crouched by the man. The head injury looked serious, and the man's pulse was weak. "I don't know what I walked up on. It could be that vigilante Ianto mentioned."
"Are you safe? That woman dropped three bodies in the last week."
"She's gone." The vigilante attacked criminals targeting women. He had nothing to worry about.
Gwen Cooper parked behind a police cruiser. From what the uniform said on the phone a few minutes earlier, the ambulance had come and gone. The victim had had to be transported to the A&E after all. The current assessment was an impulsive crime. She couldn't help but think it was an odd location. Nothing in the area was open to the public that time of night, and Rhys didn't recognize her. Most of the women who worked in the various commercial transport and warehouse businesses were older or related to the owners.
During the three months Rhys was missing, she'd had to regularly check in on the business and coordinate with his assistant who held on the best she could trying to manage the business in his absence. Gwen knew the area.
"Cooper." Dante, a constable in his thirties called to her. She couldn't remember his last name.
"Hey. Anything to worry about?"
"Not for you." Dante exhaled sharply. "I've been told to inform you that it is not Torchwood jurisdiction."
"Cowley?"
"Yep."
She wondered if that was anything she had to worry about. Jack reassessed the situation with DC Cowley after Jodi was murdered. Cowley's behavior was a lot more than a dislike for Torchwood. Given the various factions they knew had contacts within area law enforcement, it could be any number of conflicts. Jack hadn't been able to determine specifics.
"Where's Rhys?"
"His office. He's been calling around to find out which business the young woman is connected to." Dante hesitated. "I think she's an escort. An inexperienced one. I know women should be able to walk wherever they want, but that isn't realistic. She shouldn't have been out here alone. If she's a sex worker, she should have known that."
"Why do you think she's an escort?"
"Big bag with extra clothes and party favors."
That justified the suspicion. It didn't make it true. "Did anyone say that to her?"
"No. The woman got attacked trying to get into her car. I don't care if she was playing dress up for money. It's the only reason I can think she was out here."
"Did anyone knock on doors?"
Dante held up his hands. "Based on cars and lights. Other than Rhys, we found four other people in area businesses. We're checking CCTV footage, but there are lights out and malfunctioning cameras." He sighed. "Unless she was shagging the eighty year-old while his granddaughter was filling out paperwork, there is something weird going on."
"Who were the other two?"
Dante checked his notes. "Juston Chapell, a fifty-something business owner in a wheelchair and his former army nurse carer. I got the impression he was gay and she's not. Josephine Craycraft wanted to know if we have a picture of the guy. She felt it was likely he was connected to one of the area businesses."
Gwen agreed. "This isn't a retail area. There isn't a lot of foot traffic." She couldn't help but think about the good Samaritan. There wasn't any reason for her to be in the area either. "Anything on the vigilante?"
"No. The victim said she did not get a good look at the woman." Dante didn't believe that. "With the lighting and the distance, it's a wonder Rhys knew she was a woman."
"If we find anything, we will offer Cowley the same cooperation he offers Torchwood."
Dante smiled. "From what I hear, he does a lot more than cooperate with Captain Harkness."
They could thank Dr. Floyd for that ridiculous rumor. What no one at the hub could figure out was why Cowley didn't squash it. From what they knew of Cowley, he was straight and had no gay friends. They weren't sure what his connection to Jodi was, but that was a lot different than letting people think he was sleeping with Jack.
Gwen shrugged.
Eleven year-old Anwen Williams told Ianto she was going to check on John. His flat was on the fourth floor with Uncle Jack and Ianto. She could sense his turmoil from across the hall. He had to go farther than London or Dublin to affect their connection. Canada lessened the connection. Although they had figured out how to close it off for a few hours.
She knocked. After a few minutes, he answered. John could sense her just as easily and would know she wasn't going away. "What's wrong?" She stepped into the flat behind him.
"Long day." John headed back toward the sofa.
Anwen closed the door. "Ken or Dawn?"
"Yeah."
"Ianto said Dawn's doing better since you destroyed the lamp. He wasn't sure why."
John laid down.
"What happened?" She crossed the room slowly.
"Nothing."
"You're bored?" She suspected it was a lot more than that.
John hesitated. "I'm trapped."
"Take Ken for a weekend somewhere. London, Edinburgh. Dmitri can babysit Dawn."
"I'm not Ianto."
Anwen nodded. "Hunting trip? I'm pretty sure Ken would object to shooting Bambi, though. The whole works at the Disney store thing."
"Bambi?"
"Bambi's a deer. Kiddie horror movie. Starts with hunters shooting Bambi's mom."
"That's disturbing."
Anwen chuckled. "So what type of vacations do Time Agents like?"
John shook his head. "On the list of things your mother would shoot me for."
Anwen laughed. "Talk to Uncle Jack. He'll find something for you to do. If nothing else, he has a friend named Cory. Ianto thinks he's a bad influence." She wasn't sure how that was possible. "Cory would have suggestions for holiday ideas in London my mother wouldn't approve of."